Mr. Speaker, next week is Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Week sponsored by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering.
The purpose of Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Week is to focus public attention on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace.
Every 12.3 hours an employee is killed on the job. In 1992, 714 workers were killed on the job and another 864,000 workers were injured. It is estimated that the cost of occupational injuries and illnesses in Canada is close to $11 billion.
Clearly we have a fiscal and social responsibility to ensure that the general public is empowered with information designed to prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace and save lives.
In this regard I would like to express my sincere appreciation for all the individuals and organizations such as the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in my riding of Hamilton West that produce general information and research on injury and illness prevention in the workplace.